What does a "hot" AM tower site look like?
There are several clues that can help you identify AM sites:
Does the website show a callsign like WXYZ-AM?
Does the tower have ceramic base insulators?
If pulling the wire, is there an insulator in the wire?
Is the tower within a large clearing area?
Is the base of the tower fenced, usually with stakes?
Are there multiple towers on the same site hundreds of feet apart?
Is an isolation device such as ColoCoil® or ColoPole™ installed?
Will a portable radio placed near the base of the tower be overloaded on one or more frequencies?
If you see any of these things, you should investigate further before approaching the tower! Be aware that US AM stations can draw up to 50,000 watts, which can cause serious damage or death. Fortunately, most AM hosting is on towers with 10,000 watts or less, but even at lower wattages, safety requires active identification of hot AM towers.
If you're still unsure about the status of your tower, you can use the free LBA online AM screening tool for help. It will tell you all AM stations near geographic coordinates. All you need is the tower coordinates. For detailed technical information on AM operations, you can also visit the FCC AM Query site.
